Switzer Ranch in Nebraska: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Switzer Ranch is a fourth-generation Sandhills ranch near Burwell, Nebraska, established in 1904 and now managing about 12,000 acres of native prairie in Loup County. It won the 2021 Nebraska Leopold Conservation Award and has been recognized by Audubon, and its Calamus Outfitters business shows how a cattle ranch can add lodging and conservation tourism.
| Location | Near Burwell, Loup County, Nebraska Sandhills, along the Calamus River |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1904, by the great-grandfather of Sarah Switzer Sortum (DTN/Progressive Farmer) |
| Sectors | Custom-grazed beef cattle; lodging and ecotourism through Calamus Outfitters |
| Scale | About 12,000 acres of native prairie (Land Conservation Assistance Network and Sand County Foundation) |
| Why it is elite | 2021 Nebraska Leopold Conservation Award; Audubon Important Bird Area designation |
| Ownership | Switzer family, fourth generation; Sarah Sortum and Adam Switzer operate the ranch |
| Official website | Calamus Outfitters (Switzer Ranch) official site |
History of Switzer Ranch
According to DTN/Progressive Farmer, the ranch was established in 1904 by the great-grandfather of Sarah Switzer Sortum. Her parents, Bruce and Sue Ann Switzer, carried the land ethic forward, and today Sarah and her brother Adam are the fourth generation on the land.
In 2000 Bruce, Sue Ann and Adam founded Calamus Outfitters to help support Adam's family on the ranch. It started as a hunting lodge concept and grew into a family destination for outdoor lovers. In 2021 the ranch received the Nebraska Leopold Conservation Award, announced by Gov. Pete Ricketts around Earth Day.
What Switzer Ranch Grows and Raises
The ranch custom-grazes beef cattle on 12,000 acres of Sandhills prairie along the Calamus River. About 12 years before the award, the family shifted from a purely cow-calf focus to one that also pursues biodiversity goals. Management uses prescribed fire and rotational grazing, which the family describes as the processes that shaped the Great Plains.
Wildlife work is specific and measurable. The family used GPS to map breeding grounds of greater prairie-chicken and sharp-tailed grouse and prioritized removing invasive trees near them. Other steps include wildlife-friendly fencing, escape ramps in water tanks and bird-friendly haying. Land along the river is protected by a conservation easement held by The Nature Conservancy, and the ranch lies within the Greater Gracie Creek Important Bird and Biodiversity Area, described by DTN as the first privately owned area of its kind in Nebraska. The family reports meeting its biodiversity goals while improving water quality, soil health and root systems.
How Switzer Ranch Makes Money
Custom-grazed cattle
The ranch earns from grazing beef cattle on its native prairie. Custom grazing means the grass is monetized without the family carrying every animal, and it pairs naturally with rotational management.
Lodging and event space
Calamus Outfitters offers lodges and cabins, indoor meeting space for events and reunions, and a gift shop. DTN reports that four cabins were added to two lodges as the business grew.
Ecotours and festivals
Guests can book prairie-chicken viewing mornings in spring, Sandhills Ranch Habitat Ecotours, river tubing and floating, and an annual Prairie-Chicken Festival. Family members lead the tours and explain ranch history and conservation projects.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Switzer Ranch
The first lesson is that a ranch's wildlife can be a product. Prairie-chicken tours turn habitat work the family was doing anyway into a paying experience that fits the same land and calendar as cattle work. DTN notes the business began as a cushion and did not at first look big enough to support everyone, so diversification is best treated as one piece of a larger plan.
The second lesson is to use partners. Audubon Nebraska, the World Wildlife Fund, the Sandhills Task Force, Nebraska Game and Parks and the NRCS all contributed education, cost-share or staff support, according to the Land Conservation Assistance Network. The third is pricing: DTN reports the family had no experience setting event prices, so budget time to research what comparable lodging and tours charge.
Not many ranches can say their most popular morning guests are prairie chickens doing their courtship dance at dawn, and farm.FM would happily give that a front-row seat. After a day of tubing on the Calamus River, the Sandhills are a perfect place for farm humor around the supper table, and anyone craving farm satire, ranch humor or a few clean farm jokes should know that the best material usually shows up unscripted at a lodge breakfast.
farm.FM calls itself the nation's first satirical farm site, and between the headlines it spins Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers; a good place to start reading is this farm.FM columnist's archive.
How to Contact Switzer Ranch
Website: https://www.calamusoutfitters.com/
Only the website is listed here because address, phone and email could not be confirmed from the operation's own site in this research, November 2026. Lodging, tours and the prairie-chicken season are booked through Calamus Outfitters; confirm availability before traveling.
Switzer Ranch Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Calamus Outfitters official site - lodging, tours and events at Switzer Ranch
- Sand County Foundation award announcement - 2021 Nebraska Leopold Conservation Award details
- DTN/Progressive Farmer feature - how the ranch shares its land with visitors
- Land Conservation Assistance Network profile - grazing, wildlife and partner programs
- USDA NRCS in Nebraska - federal conservation program contact listed by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture
Switzer Ranch FAQ
Where is Switzer Ranch?
It is near Burwell in Loup County, in the Nebraska Sandhills along the Calamus River.
When was Switzer Ranch established?
DTN/Progressive Farmer reports it was established in 1904 and is now in its fourth generation.
What award did Switzer Ranch win?
It received the 2021 Nebraska Leopold Conservation Award from Sand County Foundation and partners.
Can visitors stay at Switzer Ranch?
Yes. The family runs Calamus Outfitters with lodges, cabins, meeting space, river trips and ecotours; check its website for current booking details.
Switzer Ranch shows how Sandhills grass, wildlife and hospitality can reinforce one another. Read the Nebraska farms guide for more on grazing, water and conservation programs across the state.